Kanojo no Hime
by Cytus Valle
Summary: A college student named Shizuka lives her life as a fear to others but it soon changes when she meets her opposite, a popular girl named Akima. Their lives are joined together after they become the best of friends and dark secrets emerge from Akima's past. (Yuri, School life, Drama, Romance, Comedy, OC)
1. Chapter 1

The day I met her, was the day I'll never forget.

I, Shizuka Ichinose (Shi-zoo-kah – Ee-chi-no-seh), am the most feared person on campus. I think at every school I was the most feared. Sometimes in the back of my head I think 'maybe I'll get an award or something'. That's unlikely to happen though. People get awards for being the prettiest, smartest, or the most athletic. I am a combination of smartest and most athletic, but it can be a problem. When a nerd wants to secretly surpass me in a subject exam, I always beat them by a score higher than they could ever achieve. Even in sports – there is always someone that wants me to play. The thing is with me, people have to be brave enough to pick me. I know they want to, since I can skin even a tough guy's ass.

Like any normal day of mine, it always starts with a good breakfast, a shower, dressing up and heading off to school. I think you are getting the idea that I'm in high school but that ain't the case. I am in the beginning of my sophomore year in college. I am 21 years old and currently hold a strong position in my job. Where I live, it's cozy enough to be happy. My apartment is on the 8th floor of a 10 story building to the side of the ocean. I know that living by the shore is extremely expensive but I'm renting and had to do every single fix in the home because my landlord is a douche and won't do anything. So I got it real cheap! I also got my vehicle real cheap too. If I wasn't in good terms with the junkyard guy/mechanic, I wouldn't have gotten my sweet ride! My school is only a few miles down the road and all that is in between those few miles is everything I need to live off of. There is a grocery store, a doctor's office, my work, and the junkyard.

I was walking that day with my backpack slung on my shoulder and my eyes to the ground. I was making my way through the courtyard to the parking lot because my classes were over. Not many people were outside, only club members and band. I was walking where a tall wall was beginning to connect to 'the stage'; a platform built of solid concrete standing 5 feet high for the drama department. The wall however was much taller. I walked like this every day because I know that if I looked up as I normally would – people would be frightened of me and because it was the quickest way out. I always wondered why though. Why couldn't people look at me in the eyes? What about me was so intimidating? Whenever I saw my reflection, I saw my figure. Sturdy, strong, midnight hair hung low to my well curved waist, blemish free pale skin, and right between my long bangs were my eyes. When I was born, the doctors didn't know what to think of me. I was born with snow white eyes. My parents always told me that I was special but you'd think I would actually believe it?

"Akima!" someone screamed.

Oh, and another thing. People are afraid of my reflexes.

I had trained long and hard in a dojo on the east side of town for years on end. I had graduated up to a black belt some time ago, maybe till my second year in high school. Or maybe third. Bah, whatever – the thing is that I was a black belt and my sensei sharpened up my senses real good and now I have this 6th sense that in many cases leave people stunned by my actions…and in this case, was the worst.

It took me a minute to gather up all the information about what had just happened because honestly, it went by so fast that my mind went skapoot. I began to realize that my neck was grappled tightly, I had skinned my knee, and was holding a girl in my arms bridal style. But it wasn't any girl. It was Akima Fujino, 2nd year. Her popularity, beauty and grades stung everyone in the heart on campus. Except me. People had already given her 'nicknames' because of her high status and ethnicity. They call her 'onee-san' and 'etoile-sama' because she is Japanese, but honestly I don't know what the hell that means anyway. My father was of Japanese 'descent' but that was a long line down before my family migrated to America and became white with a Japanese surname. The thing is - I don't look Japanese at all. My mother was Italian/German and simply wanted for me to be named after a famous Japanese princess. But I am not a princess. I'm…more like a knight – and for now, I rescued a princess.

Her emerald eyes stared directly into my icy gaze and I could tell she was a little nervous because she bit her lip slightly. We exchanged only glances of gratitude. But, there was something more. Something in her eyes that I did not understand. I fled before she could rise and left the scene without a word.

The thing is that I was terrified.

No one looked at me in the eyes. Nope, not one person. The beauty of her eyes however, made my body tremble. Maybe because it was the first time my eyes met someone else's? My skin burned when she touched my neck with her cold hands. I froze when a light blush crept onto her cheeks. It was really weird and surprisingly true how the rumors of us being opposites were. The only thing I heard from behind me was whispers and small gasps.

The day ended fast.

Since then, life has been the same. My classes, which I have six, are always fast for me. I guess my mind had gotten used to the schedules and they always go by so fast. It's like when I look at the clock and its 2:30 pm, and when I glance after a little note taking it has already been 20 minutes. It's either that I am dying faster or that I take forever to write my notes. I think I am going to die before I know it. Since the 'incident', which was probably a year ago already, I had begun to notice things a little more than normal. I began to notice that 'the princess' wasn't in her classes.

Fujino shared four classes with me. Most of the time she was punctual with her schedule; always arriving before the bell, talking with people in the class, doing makeup before the bell in the class, etc. But every time I came to class during the last month, her seat was vacant. It still seemed like she was there, like as if her spirit was there or something of the sort. Half-mindedly I always ace my assignments which are good for my sake. But, because of my curiosity, I had to ask. After my chemistry class (which was my last for the day), I went to my English teacher, who was down the hall to the left.

I asked him whether she was ok or not. Looking down to the stack of ungraded papers on his cluttered desk, he simply said no. I came back home with a troubled look on my face. Why? I thought. It wasn't like Fujino to be absent. She was the jewel in the crown of the school. It wasn't like her to set a bad example for the younger crowd. Shit, it wasn't like me to worry about someone so much.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, she came to school. She didn't socialize like she normally would nor had a posse. By the end of the day I came into my chemistry class as usual –no one looked at me, nor did I look back – and found my seat at the back of the class. Even though I was in the back, I could still hear the teacher very well because he spoke so loud with his Scottish accent. It was annoying too. Chemistry was my best subject, along with all the other subjects. It didn't surprise me when I had my hand raised every time and he would pick another student who didn't to say the answer. But anyway, class was starting and every seat was occupied except mine. The kid that sat next to me all the time was switched with another student. Apparently it was today, and he probably switched because he was so scared of his assigned seat next to yours truly. I didn't know who was going to take his place until she walked in with a late slip.

After she gave him the slip, she scanned the room and saw me and quickly made her way to the open stool. She set her bag down on the counter (although I think it's more of a purse) took out a notebook and pink pen with a star charm and begun taking down the assignments from the board. I tried not to look but the way she was dressed made me rather uncomfortable.

We had no dress code; in fact, we could dress however we wanted to. I don't like that idea though. Fujino isn't the type of girl to be 'modest'. Today, she came to school with a 'school girl' outfit. I don't know why and I don't want to find out why either. Her outfit consisted of a tight button down white collar shirt, hung loosely around her neck was a navy plaid tie that reached down to her navel with two bobby pins clipped on. Her skirt was gone to mid-thigh and that wasn't enough to cover those dark laced stockings of hers. Her shoes were normal at least and complimented the attire. Well, that wasn't all. Her shirt was not buttoned enough and exposed only the top of her bra that was at least hidden by a light grey tank. I shielded my eyes from staring at her and I looked out the window instead. There, from the second floor I saw the football stadium we have and the rest of the roof from the other part of the building. Our campus buildings were designed to be shaped like a cross, that's why. The weather outside was good enough to ride too. It was a clear day with barely any clouds and was literally the perfect day to be out on my bike. I did have a few dollars, I thought, that I could go out and grab a drink somewhere. I smiled at the thought, because I haven't had a time to myself in a while. With work and school, I was always busy with different things that I never took the time to relax. It was Thursday as well. To me, Thursday is like the final day of the week before Friday to alleviate the stress that the other days brought. But, my work days are weirdly scheduled. I work every day except for today, Friday, and Sunday. Since I am amazing at my job and am responsible (as my boss boasts) I can ask for a free day anytime. Although clearly it ain't the best job in the world working at staples as a cashier, I do make my living off of this job and it suffices for my apartment and bike expenses.

My thoughts were clouded when I heard a voice stutter.

"Uhhh...Umm…"

The teacher repeated the question, almost certain she was going to get it wrong and embarrass herself. "If a system loses 250 kJ of heat at the same time that it is doing 500 kJ of work, what is the change in the internal energy of the system, Ms. Fujino?"

I could tell that she was frantic. Her leg was shaking and her hands were fidgeting under the table. What made the situation worst was that every pair of eyes was on her. I quickly did the math in my head and whispered,

"-750 kJ."

She repeated my words slowly and the teacher looked at her astonished, blinking several times. "That's…correct. Very good, Ms. Fujino."

I continued to look outside, resting my chin on the palm of my hand when she leaned into my space bubble and whispered, "Thanks!"

"You're welcome." I responded bleakly. I focused on a tree outside –thinking to myself that I would look like I don't give a fuck.

"I'm Akima Fujino." She beamed. I could see that she was trying to start a conversation and my tactic of not caring wasn't working very well.

"I know who you are."

She huffed and crossed her arms. It was amusing for me to see her like that, as a matter of fact; I giggled a little and turned her way, still with my chin on my palm. I took my pen and started to play with it on my other hand since all the teacher did was talk on and on about things that didn't really matter.

"Sorry, but it's true. You are the most popular in the whole school." I said twirling the pen between my fingers.  
"It's fine I guess." She sighed. "I was just trying to introduce myself that's all. But I know you too. You are just as popular as I am!"  
With that, I almost choked on my own saliva.

"Yeah right." I chuckle dryly. I was trying not to cause a show and trying to play it cool.

"It's true!"

"Mmhmm yeah, like that's the case." I snapped back at her. "Why the hell are people so afraid of me then?"  
She took a moment, probably exhausting that mind of hers from thinking too much. After a minute went by she said with a grin, "I don't know. All I know is that I'm not afraid of you."

I raise my eyebrows and adjusted my position so that I sat with my legs apart and my elbows held with each of my hands. I lowered my head and gave her a smug look. "Really."

She nodded. I could tell she was telling the truth because she kept looking at me in the eyes. I tried avoiding it though because was too much for me. It was the first time someone did this to me and I didn't want to get lost in her green orbs. They were a bright green, not some dull colour, and they shone like emerald jewels. Her hair also complimented them too. Her dirty blonde locks perfectly fell onto her shoulders in soft waves. Ever her eyebrows were perfectly plucked so that not one hair was out of place. She wasn't just a princess. She was an angel too.

For the rest of the time we talked silently amongst ourselves. We talked about our likes, dislikes (there were a lot) and just random things to pass the time.


	3. Chapter 3

After class, we went our separate ways. I was already at the parking lot by now, getting out the keys and taking off the tarp from my Ducati. My pride and joy was a jet black bike with thin neon blue lines going along the sleek edges of the body. My helmet was the same. I had two black bags on both sides of the seat, where I put my schoolbag and helmet in. I place my helmet on the seat and stuff my schoolbag into the carrier. Getting on the bike is very easy for me. My height is perfect for the bike and I don't wear skimpy skirts. Instead, (my attire is like this every day) my daily outfit consists of dark skinnis, boots, a shirt from a band or with a logo and my famous brown leather jacket.

I take my helmet in my hands and easily get on the bike and I was about to start the engine when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Shizuka! Wait!"

Oh no, it's her again. She stopped just before crashing into me and making me fall over. She had her bag clutched in her arms and her messy bun was beginning to undo. She pushed a few hairs behind her ear and took a minute to catch her breath.  
"I just wanted to thank you for that day...you know when you caught me?"

I nodded. It's not that I'd forget anyway.

"It means a lot."

"Ok."

I don't think I was giving her the response that she was hoping for. I was about to put my helmet on when she blurted out:  
"I want to repay you!"

Ok, she got my attention. Now what?

"I want to take you out for a bit, if that is fine. I have some money so I could buy you some coffee or something." She waited for my response and looked into my eyes for it. I gulped. She's really making me nervous with all this eye contact. Maybe that is the golden rule for communication, but honestly I'm glad nobody looks at me like that. I gathered my senses and looked around. There wasn't a car in sight and this was the student parking lot.

I shrugged. "I guess that's fine. Where's your car?" It was incredibly fast the way she changed a bubbly expression to downright depressed. Maybe she was bipolar…

"Well, I don't have a car…" she moped, looking at her shoes. Then she looked at me again beamed slightly. I got her silent message but I was thinking no. I haven't had anyone ride with me ever. Also, I only had one helmet.

"Please?!" Fujino pleaded, "I don't mean to be a bother but I really want to do this for you! There was a kid once that had the same accident as me and he died! You saved my life and I really wanted to repay you back but I haven't seen you since last year and this is an opportunity for me to-"

"Ok, get on."

Her eyes widened as I brushed the inside and handed her my helmet. She took it and pointed but I simply said, "It's for your safety, not mine." She smiled without a word and placed it on her head and I helped her strap it onto her chin. Her head was a little smaller than mine so I adjusted the strap so that it fit her just fine. Then, I took her backpack and put it in the other carrier on my bike.

"You know how to get on?"

She shook her head. I got off and showed her the whole leg thing. I placed the kick-stand up again and helped her on, and I got on after. I kicked up the stand and asked where she wanted to go. She said Ramones's Café.

The café itself wasn't so cheap. But it was in a good part of town. It was near my place so if anything happened I could just go home. I hope nothing bad will happen though. But with this turn of events I'm sure it could be possible. We got off (well, I did. I had to help her off.) and went inside. It wasn't anything special inside. Although it was tidy, the place was old and so it had a rustic feel to it. The interior was a mix of crème colours and burgundy. The tables were placed in the center of the café while the booths were by the large windows along with a four person bar. She insisted I go grab a table while she bought the coffee. I requested a cappuccino but she didn't have enough so I had to give her one of my spare dollars. I sat down in a booth that was in the corner; far away from other people.

She brought the drinks on a circular tray, set it down on the table, and sat in front of me.

Fujino took her cup as did I and I took a sip. She raised her cup to my eye level and asked "cheers?"

Half-mindedly I touched my cup to hers and said 'cheers' back.

She set her cup down on a folded napkin on the table and looked at me.

"My dad and I used to do that all the time." Fujino looked down to her drink and circled her finger around the rim. I took another sip from my drink and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"That's cool."

"But he's gone now."

I frowned.

"Sorry for your loss. What about your mom?"

"She's alive, but she's somewhere. I haven't talked to her since I left my house."

"You're a runaway?" I dared myself to ask.

"Yes."

Gee. I never knew miss perfect to be not so perfect after all. I don't think she knows how to start a conversation too. I changed the subject only after realizing that I put myself out there too.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't have parents either."


	4. Chapter 4

Shit.

Fujino looked up from her drink and did the very thing I didn't want her to do. She came closer to my face and I had begun to feel hot. 'What is she doing?' I thought to myself and she scanned my face with her squinted eyes.

"Really? Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Uhhh…no. I'm serious. My parents were involved in an accident when I was 13."

She sat back down when I also said, "I don't lie. When I do, it's for something important."

Fujino took a sip from her beverage and said a bit embarrassed, "Sorry."

"It's ok." I said, pursing my lips together from the image of the accident. I remember when it happened but, I never really knew my parents. I only knew of the 'surface' which was that they were hard working, good, and every time they saw me, they told me they loved me.

"So," I continued to try sparking the conversation. "Where do you work?"

"I don't have a job."

"Oh, then how you get along? You need money to live!"

"Well, I live with my boyfriend."

"Oh. Where does he work?" I asked.

"I don't know." Fujino admitted. I slammed my hands onto the table and furrowed my eyebrows at her. Everything on the table jumped just a little bit, but it was forceful enough to make my spoon hit the floor, and also made people looked at us. I leaned over to the side of the table to pick up the fallen utensil, brushed it off and smiled at the other people to tell them we were ok.

"You should! You are his girlfriend." I said after calming down. Fujino looked down at her cup. She nodded, but did not say anything. I think I was being too harsh on her. I guess I didn't know how to talk to other girls very well. It's just that as I think about her situation with him it makes me mad. I sighed and continued. "Personally, I think that if someone who is not honest with their partner shouldn't even have them. It's not right for the other not to know where they are because then you could assume things and then it would cause more of a pain to get rid of."

Fujino beamed. She looked into my eyes again and smiled. "Thanks…that's very kind of you…"

I placed my hand on her head and rubbed it like she was a puppy. "Naw, don't mention it!"

We laughed for a bit and she broke off asking me if I played any sports. Sports huh?

"Yeah I play. Not a whole lot but I used to play football and lacrosse. But the main thing I do is martial arts and just go to the gym."

"Wow! I used to do cheerleading and ballet but I broke my ankle and I couldn't do it ever again."

I scoffed and crossed both my ankles and leaned against the side of the booth. "Was it that bad?"

Fujino nodded. "Yes. It was so bad that I couldn't walk for a month! The doctor said that I tore a few ligaments and some aren't going to heal back."

"Damn." I said, thinking about how painful that would have been. "Are you ok now?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. It was back in junior year."

Junior year. Things haven't changed for me since then. I do remember Fujino though.

"You went to the same high school as me. Crestwood, right?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Yes. There is where I fell off the pyramid, but it was also when I met him. It was around the time when I left the house, and when my accident happened he took me to the hospital. His family was more than gracious to have paid for my medical bills and after that was when he told me he loved me."

I rolled my eyes. "Some love you got there. I bet he's not like that anymore."

She agreed with me. "He isn't. We don't get along at all. For a while now I was thinking about leaving his place and getting a place to my own but since prices are so high I don't think that's an option anymore."

I felt bad for her. I really did. I don't think I've ever felt this way. I didn't think I would've either. Without even realizing it, she had finished her drink and the waitress was already taking her empty cup. Mine was only a quarter full and not that hot so I gulped down the rest and gave it to the employee. I left a three dollar tip for the woman and we left, I held the door for Fujino on the way out and for the rest of the day we decided to go window shopping around a little mall nearby.


	5. Chapter 5

The day ended before we knew it. Honestly, I didn't want it to end though. I was having a lot of fun with the girl that clung onto my arm most of the time. We laughed, cracked up a few jokes and frankly, had a blast. She told me a lot about herself that I never would have guessed! We had our differences sure, but her likes weren't that different than mine! She loved watching anime, reading manga, being crazy, and she was pretty smart too! The image that was put out of her being ditsy and dull minded was only just the surface of a lie that covered the truth. She was the best – and beautiful too. Even her height difference was cute! She was only 5'1 and I was a solid standing 5'7! She puffed her cheeks whenever I'd rest my arm on her head and then she'd 'tackle' me by squeezing my waist. It barely did any effect though and she was mesmerized for an hour by how tight my abs were! We walked around a lot but we saw many things, and she even dragged me into stores to try on clothes! It was painful having to go from being 'me' to being her life sized dress-up doll for I don't know how long. But sure enough, in one day we became best friends.

It was already getting dark when we left the last store. I swiped the screen on my phone, (yes, I have a phone) and looked at the time. Damn. 9:30 p.m. It was getting a bit chilly as we were approaching my Ducati. It wasn't cold to me but I could tell it was for Fujino. So, remembering I had on my trusty jacket, I submissively put it on her. She told me the directions to her boyfriend's house and I obediently followed them, although something in my gut told me not to - so I took the long way. I didn't go very fast since the street was empty so I took my sweet time. I noticed that Fujino held on tight to my waist and even grabbed my shirt, at the same time burying her face into my back. I smiled a little –though I didn't know why. When we were almost there she lifted the visor from my helmet and told me in a rather stern voice to drop her off a block from the house. I nodded, but that uneasy feeling crept up even more. Almost up my throat.

I stopped a block away from her house under a streetlight. She didn't let go, so I didn't get off either. We stayed like that on the empty street for a couple of minutes. Honestly, I didn't want her to leave. She let go on her grip on my shirt though and just simply hugged me. It was like a mother with a child, that kind of dependence I never really understood until now. It made me feel strong that someone cared for me, someone who wanted me to stay. Or, maybe she was just cold. I didn't know, but I really did want to.

I broke the silence by getting off and helping her off. I grabbed her schoolbag and lent it to her and she just placed it on the ground.

"Here." She said, taking my jacket off and my helmet too. I only took the helmet.

"Naw, you can borrow it if you'd like."

"Really?" She asked. She blushed a little and so did I.

"Yep." I answered back with a grin.

"Give me your phone." Fujino looked a bit puzzled but she took it out from her bag, unlocked it and gave it to me. I found her contacts (there were a lot) and typed in my digits. I gave it back and she smiled and blushed a bit more.

"Call me if you need anything, ok Fujino?" I managed to say. She looked at me again with those green eyes and nodded without taking her gaze from mine.

"I will. And please, call me Akima."

A gentle wind blew through our hair and through the trees and I could almost say she looked heavenly. I just nodded. The rustle of the trees, the faint noises from the main road and chirps of crickets were the only things we heard. It was like an undying silence that plagued the night coming from our urban ears. It was a beautiful night and the stars were a little visible and I kind of wished that I lived in the country. Then again I lived in the city my whole life and if I suddenly moved into the middle of nowhere, it would be like a silent room for me and I'd go insane. My thoughts were cleared when a small hand grabbed my cheek and a small kiss was planted on the other. "Thank you for today, I had fun. See you later." She whispered in my ear. It was more of a peck, but it still made me feel like my skin was on fire. She stepped back, getting off of her toes looking to the ground timidly. She took her bag in hand and waved goodbye and begun walking.

I held my breath as she retreated down the sidewalk. I didn't leave, but went to the other side of the street and didn't take my eyes off her. I hid in the shadow of a tree that was blocking the light from a lamppost. Thankfully my bike and clothes were a dark colour so I was pretty camouflaged in the darkness of the night. I saw her walk slowly down the street, her bag slung on her shoulder, looking towards the ground. She walked past one house, then another, then another. Her expression worsened each time she passed by a house. Her expression was so distraught that I can't even explain it. It worsened my uneasiness that's for sure. My heart stopped when Akima finally turned to the house at the end of the block.

The house itself screamed dread.


End file.
